it has raised a lot of questions about how long treated about how long the recovery, and no one knows how well if at all the president is recovering. is anyone outside of the inner circle know whether he is really ever going to be able to come back? >> that is the question that nobody is answering. in the past few weeks, the government said the president was slowly but surely recovering and getting better. then they announced he had a setback and is still recovering -- suffering from a respiratory infection. the latest medical report was that he was stable. not saying that he has made any

significant recovery from respiratory complications. that is really the question the venezuelans want to know, when or if he is going to be able to return to the presidency. >> u.s. vice president joe biden said the white house is prepared to use executive orders as well as legislation to tighten gun control. he is leading pro and anti-gun groups as part of a task force on gun violence. >> america has seen mass shootings with frantic response. the makeshift memorial, the politicians promising change. that never happens. as vice president joe biden begins meeting on the issue of gun violence, he says this time it is different. >> every once in awhile, something awakens the conscience of the country. seenis like nothing i've in my career. >> after 26 or killed in a

connecticut classroom, gun- control advocates believe america is ready for some regulation. >> the only place where this is a heated, partisan political debate is in halls of congress. it is not among the american people. you hear a lot of cultural noise out there that is represented by polarized extremes -- extremes on either side of this political debate. >> those against regulations are planning a protest to days before the next inauguration, asking gun owners to take to the streets, go to gun shows, in a show of support. >> it cannot infringe upon people's rights to bear arms in this country. >> former congresswoman gabrielle giffords, the victim of gun violence herself, and others are launching an ad war of their own. a fight for the american public that the american press -- american president has said the side with the most vocal support

will likely win the argument in congress, which ultimately has to decide if anything actually changes this time. >> now to the prisoner swap deal that the syrian government is calling a break through. it is releasing 2000 prisoners, including women and children, in exchange for 48 iranian hostages still being held captive by rebels. >> it is the first major prisoner swap in the syrian civil war. syrian rebels agreed to free 48 iranian nationals who were captured last august in damascus. an ambassador and a representative were at the hotel in damascus to meet the hostages. in return, the syrian government agreed to free over 2000 syrian prisoners, including more than 70 women. syrian opposition fighters insist that the iranians are members of the powerful revolutionary guard. they accused him of spying for the syrian government and

helping with the crackdown on dissent. last august, rebels released a video showing iranian military identification cards that they said were taken from the prisoners. i humanitarian relief foundation said nationals were among those that were free. >> syria agreed to release 2100 prisoners. we hope that many innocent victims will be released and rescued as soon as possible. we should appreciate this initiative. >> the syrian opposition considers the iranian hostage is a major marketing ship. the prisoner exchange took place just days after assad promised to continue fighting the rebels. it is seen as an indication that the syrian government is willing to negotiate with the rebels,

despite public declarations of the contrary. >> in mali, there are fears that violence could escalate. rebel fighters have told al jazeera they took prisoners and a resident reports hearing heavy weapons firing. the army sent reinforcements to the area to push back rebel groups who already control over two-thirds of the country. violence in kenya has killed at least eight people in a troubled region. more than 100 farmers were armed with machetes, guns, and bows and arrows. police are investigating politicians and business leaders in the area for any suspected role they may have played in the attack. the incident happened despite the deployment of over 1000 security forces in the region.

talks have begun for a solution to the crisis in gabon. there is little sign that either side is ready to make a deal. >> their leaders are talking peace, while on the ground, the rebels are in position, ready to continue with the war. these are heavily armed fighters near the so-called red line imposed by central african forces. the rebels are sending a message to the president, stepped down, or we will fight. they insist that only stopped their advance at the request of the central african states that are trying to broker a peace deal, but their language is less moderate than their leadership, and they are not interested in a unity government.

>> if the negotiations bring a result, we will definitely continue work. we do nothing now because we are waiting for the results. the only way to stop the war is to have good results and for him to step down. >> the president has reiterated his refusal to quit in an interview with al jazeera. he went further, accusing the rebel alliance of having foreign back up. >> i called a mercenary terrorists. mercenary because they are being paid by those who sent them. terrorists because they are terrorizing the population. the village, they rape, they destroyed. >> we cannot let it be destroyed. >> despite the president's verbal offensive, it does not appear he wants to reach an agreement inbgabon. is the rebel leadership prepared to can see on its demand for him to step down? the next question yes, whether

the rebels on the ground are prepared to accept such a concession. they are in no mood for cutting such a deal and they are infuriated by the accusations by governor -- government ministers. >> it upsets us when some of them in syria are saying that the rebels include cities. no sudanese are here. >> central african mediators and commanders are calling for calm as the talk goes on. their appeals are

>> hello again. venezuela opposition has criticized the supreme court ruling to delay the president's inauguration. the decision puts off the ceremony until hugo chavez is well enough to attend. chavez is still in cuba, following his fourth operation for cancer. u.s. vice president joe biden says the white house is prepared to use executive orders as well as legislation to tighten gun control. he is holding talks with pro and anti-gun groups on the issue. 48 iranians held by opposition fighters were released in return for over 2000 government prisoners. a sri lankan housemaid has been beheaded for a crime she was

accused of committing went to 17 years old. this is the passport she used to enter saudi arabia in 2005. it gives her date of birth as 1982, but her actual versus the fed said she was born -- she was actually six years younger, meaning she would only have been 17 years old when an infant died in her care. the ministry of external affairs said the president and the government deplored the execution of the girl, despite all efforts at the highest level of the government and the outcry of the people locally and internationally over the death sentence of a juvenile housemaid. a senior researcher from human rights watch joins us live from new york. what do you make of this case? >> well, it is outrageous that saudi arabia continues to execute people who committed a crime when they were still

children themselves. she was only 17 years old at the time that this baby died under her care, and there are many indications that she did not have a fair trial. she did not have a lawyer present and she did not have access to a competent translator. >> doesn't fall into a wider pattern of human-rights abuses and justice in saudi arabia? -- does it fall into a wider pattern creston mark critz absolutely. the saudi arabian justice system as pool of problems and is very difficult for anybody to be assured of basic guarantees for their human rights, if they come into conflict with the law. we know of many cases of domestic workers who are accused of theft, of which crap, adultery, and in many cases they may be evicted -- of witchcraft.

as in her case, it is difficult to get access to lawyers, to competent translators, to get information about their judgment, and is quite pervasive that people really do not get due process or a fair trial in saudi arabia. >> what can organizations like yours and the international community do about the situation in saudi arabia? >> i think it is a matter of continuing to raise these issues, to look towards best practices, to work with those within saudi arabia who would like to see reform. it is important to know that there is diversity within the saudi arabian government. in the case of migrant domestic workers, there is responsibility on all sides. there is also a responsibility

on the part of the sri lankan government to make sure that recruitment agencies are not falsifying documents of migrants and allowing children to migrate instead of adults. they should be cracking down on these agencies. the embassy should have extended aid to its nationals much earlier. they did not help per until it was too late, although she had been apprehended in 2005, that did not give her any help until after she had already been sentenced to the death penalty. >> thank you for being with us from new york. in pakistan, police have arrested five suspects in connection with the killing of health workers last month. the men were taken into custody in karachi. police seized hand grenades, guns, and bomb making materials. they say they confessed to killing two health workers.

india has summoned pakistani envoy in new delhi to complain about an attack in which two indian soldiers died. accused pakistan of violating the cease-fire. >> the indian army paying tribute to the two soldiers killed on duty in kashmir. the territory is divided by what is called a line of control. india says pakistani soldiers took advantage of bad weather and low visibility to launch an attack on the indian side of that border. it has caused a diplomatic crisis and raised concerns over relations between the two countries. >> it is very important that we make sure that what ever happened should not be escalated. we cannot and must not allow the unfortunate events that have taken place. >> the pakistani ambassador to india was summoned to the

interior ministry in very strong terms. the pakistani army has released a statement in response to demands for an investigation. indian authorities were informed that pakistan has carried out -- and checked and found out that nothing is being alleged by india. in the capital of pakistan in kashmir, the incident has had little impact on daily life. people are aware of the diplomatic dispute that is brewing. >> we condemn this incident, regardless of which side started get. both countries should try cordele relations -- cordial relations. >> this is an anti-pakistan protest. opposition parties have been calling for retaliatory action, but the government is taking a

cautious approach. recently, syria and pakistan have made strides in improving relations for much publicized cricket matches. any progress still hinges on finding a solution to kashmir. it is an issue that is crucial for long lasting peace between the two countries. >> in the capital of bangladesh, police fired tear gas that teachers who were protesting for government pay. protesters destroyed police barricades. 7000 schools are waiting to go on the government payroll. victims of violence in mexico and their relatives will be more likely to receive compensation. it provides for a new fund for victims that will force authorities to offer more legal help.

>> there are thousands of people who have suffered the ravages of violence. a democratic state insensitive to all voices must be humane. >> in mexico city, police are hunting a pack of wild dogs they believe that killed four teenagers. two teenagers for found dead due to heavy blood loss in a city park. back in december, a woman with a 1-year-old child were killed in the same area. in australia, koor whether it's giving firefighters something of a reprieve. record heat has made it difficult to battle wildfires that have spread across the country in recent days. -- could weather is giving firefighter something other reprieve. these are hot spots that have been detected by satellite of the past 24 hours, showing where fires are still burning.

survivors have told some amazing stories of escape, including one family from tasmania that sheltered in the sea to escape the flames. >> clinging to each other for dear life, after a family of five children were caught up in an australian bush fire. their mom and dad were away from their home in tasmania last friday and they were left with their grandparents. >> we saw a tornado is a fire coming across towards us. the next thing we knew, everything was on fire. >> we received a message at 3:30 to say that mom and dad had evacuate, that they were surrounded by fire. >> luckily the children and grandparents mated to a nearby jetty and jumped into the cold water. >> it is still quite upsetting to see the image.

it showed all of my five children underneath the jetty. >> we all had water up to our chins, just trying to breathe. the atmosphere was so incredibly toxic. >> after several hours in the water, the grandfather found a small boat and dragged them to safety. they have now been reunited with their parents. scores of fires continued to pose a real threat on wednesday. in new south wales, an estimated 10,000 sheep have been killed. others are live, but only just. given the expense of the blazes, the damage to property has been remarkably light. this historic house in the southern state of victoria was the exception rather than the rule. new south wales got off more lightly still, with plenty of

land scorched but few houses destroyed, thanks to a massive fire fighting effort coordinated from central control room on the scale of the space mission. temperatures dipped all across southern of study on wednesday, helping the firefighters, but his only temporary relief. >> or the first time since 1996, not one single player has been voted into u.s. baseball hall of fame. barry bonds, roger clemens, and sammy sosa were among the famous players who were voted down this year after accusations of performance enhancing drugs. >> are rumors of steroid use have been reopened. allegations of using performance enhancing drugs kept out of

barry bonds, and he is not the only one who has been snubbed. >> this is the most star- studded class a possible baseball hall of famers perhaps in history. for them to have nobody into the hall of fame, for them to not elect arguably the greatest hitter, pager, and catcher, it really does look farcical at this point. >> roger clemens is the only seven-time cy young award winner. he will not be inducted this year. neither will sammy sosa. he hits 609 home runs, but was named to the list of alleged drug users in 2003. the only person to come close was a former houston player. he was short of a 75% quota

needed. others only got about half of the necessary votes. >> this is a hall of fame that is filled with people who have history, whether the history is with drugs, abuse, or connected to actually open racism and trying to keep people of color out of major league baseball. all of those folks are part of the major league baseball hall of fame. to see the same baseball writers who turned a blind eye in the 1990's when the steroid era was going on, this just feels like the worst kind of sanctimonious nonsense. >> the july ceremony in cooperstown